Recovered Baby Beardie Not Eating As Much As He Should

I live in a country where pet stores pretty much refuse to take good care of their animals. Pets are definitely viewed more as merchandise than living beings. As sad as that makes me and as much as I hate supporting those practices, I caved and bought a baby bearded dragon a few weeks ago (not before preparing well first though).

When I brought him home, he was a little sluggish at first but eventually perked up after some exposure to proper heat (85cool - 115 basking) and UVB (Reptisun 10.0 T8).

He hardly ate the first day or two, as expected, but then he started eating more and of his own accord. He's super active and has a distinct personality. I don't think he has any outstanding health issues (he defecates regularly, eyes are clear and alert and his color's great) but I thought he would be eating more than he is.

I've had him for about a week and a half and the recurring pattern is I'll feed him in the morning, and he'll eat 5 or 6 appropriately sized dubias. I'll feed him again that day and he'll eat 3 or 4 more. But then, for the next day or two he won't be interested in live food at all. I'll put some thinly sliced squash up to his face and sometimes he'll take a bite but he won't take the initiative to eat his veggies (again, as expected).

I'm worried that his eating habits will stunt his growth or that his metabolism and eating habits have already been damaged beyond repair by the conditions he used to live in at the pet store. What do you think?

Here's a little more information on his living conditions:
Tank: 40+ gallon long wooden tank
Heating: 85cool - 115 basking
UVB: Reptisun 10.0 T8
Substrate: Ceramic tiles that look like stone
No water bowl in enclosure, soak once a week

I forgot to mention that I've been lightly dusting his meals with Zoomed's calcium powder with D3

Does he have a shadey spot on the cool side to go to?
His basking spot is about 5° to warm and the cool end needs to be around 80 if possible.
Do you run a light at night, this can disturb their sleep patterns?

Gormagon":9b5v3cjn said:

Does he have a shadey spot on the cool side to go to?
His basking spot is about 5° to warm and the cool end needs to be around 80 if possible.
Do you run a light at night, this can disturb their sleep patterns?

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Yes, he has a hide and a shady spot on the cool end. The cool temperature is the average ambient temperature of the cool side. Measuring the cool side now I see that it can get as low as 75 in the shade if he chooses to hang out there but he normally likes to sit on a spot on a log near the middle of the tank. He'll bask on occasion.
Also, no lights on at night. Night temps stay at about 70 without heating

Can you lower his basking spot or raise the basking light a little as to drop the basking temp to between 105 and 110? If he spends most of his time in the middle and not much basking, this means its too warm generally and if he can't bask much he won't eat. That is how the digest their food.

Thanks for the tip. I originally had an 100w bulb for heat but I just switched it out for a 60w and moved it a little closer to the basking spot to make up for the wattage difference. I'll monitor the temps with my temp gun and let you know if there's any difference in his eating.

It could also be the size of the food, if it's large he's not going to eat as much and be fuller. What size and kind of live food is he getting?

SpacialCoogs":13g05fu1 said:

It could also be the size of the food, if it's large he's not going to eat as much and be fuller. What size and kind of live food is he getting?

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He's mostly eating dubia nymphs and crickets that fit the space between his eyes but sometimes slightly larger dubias slip into the mix. He has no problem chewing them up

After fine-tuning his basking spot temperature I'm happy to say that El Chapo is acting more like a baby beardie should.
He's going through a shed right now so he's pretty grouchy but he's eating more so I'm satisfied.

Thank you all for your helpful advice.
Here's a picture of him in his setup!
Let me know if there are any glaring issues. The plants in there are non-toxic (aloe and chickens and hens succulents) and he's got hiding places near the cooler side of his box.